Drape pleat-spacer



H. A.'EGGERT DRAPE PLEAT-SPACER March 23, 1 954 Filed April 29, 1952INVENTOR: HERBERT A. EG GE RT BY ATT'YS Patented Mar. 23,:1954

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The link member 24 has end pivot apertures 29 and a central pivotaperture 30. Each of the links has a planar face 3| on the side that isopposed to its mating link. The members are oi.' channel-shape intransverse section, comprising a web portion 32 and side flanges 33 forlongitudinal stiiness.

The web portion 32 is of the same thickness from end to end but is bowedlongitudinally so as to be flush with the inner face of the link memberfor a considerable distance each side of the central pivot 28 and to beflush with the outer edges of the iianges 33 adjacent the end pivots,thus providing an unbroken outer surface 34 sloping toward each endpivotal area.

This channel section of the links gives them the required strength witha minimum use oi material and also prevents distortion thereof underunequally distributed strains to sticking of hangers cn the traverserod.

The pivotal studs 28 and 26 are without llets at their juncture with thebody of the member and the bearing apertures 23 and 30 on the member 24have thin boss formations 35 and 36 concentric with the pivot apertureson the inner n face of the bar for reducing friction between the opposedfaces of adjoining links.

The inclined unbroken surfaces 34 in the iinished structure, as shownassembled in Figs. 2 and 6, are curved to taper toward the relativelythin end portionsof the members and are spaced from the dependingportions of the tips 23 and shanks I8 of the curtain hooks so as toprevent any interference by the curtain hooks with the free movement ofthe links of the lazy tong structure, regardless of how the drape may beswung, while the'lazy tongs are being expanded or contracted.

In practice, the links of the lazy tong are assembled into two standardunit forms, shown respectively at the left and right sides of thecomposite Fig. 6, the left-hand form being what is herein referred to asa single X-unit panel consisting of two links pivotally connected attheir central pivot 28; and the other form consisting of eight linksforming a basic multiple X-panel of four such X-units. In each of theseunit forms, the central pivots 28 are swaged by locally applied heat andpressure so as to form heads 31 permanently vconnecting the male andfemale links in pairs. The free ends of the tubular pivots 26 aresimilarly swaged by local heat and pressure to produce outwardlyextending head flanges 38 forming permanent pivotal connections on thethree intermediate end pivot joints shown at the top and bottom of thepanel in Fig. 6. This swaging is done without reduction in diameter ofthe bore 21. The pivots 26 at the ends of the single X-units, as sho-wnat the left of Fig. 6, are not headed and likewise the pivots 26 at theextreme ends of the multiple panel units, as shown at the right of Fig.6, are left unexpanded for the purpose of conveniently extending thellazy tong structure by the addition of other multiple panel units orsingle X-units as the particular situationmay require.

In practical application, these two standard sizes of panel units,namely single X-panel units and 4 X-panel units, in which the links are5% inches long between the centers of end pivots, can be combined so asto satisfy all requirements of pleat spacing arising from the use ofcombinations of standard commercial widths of material in themanufacture ofstandard or custom-i 4 made drapes. Usually widths of 48or 52 inches are reduced by pleating 25 inches.

Special hanger clips 39 of S-hook form, made of tempered spring wire,are provided for connecting the upper end pivots 26 of the lazy tongstructure to the hangers I2 of the curtain rods and are illustrated inFigs. 2 and 7.' Each of these S-hooks, as shown in detail in Fig. '1,has its lower part bent to a parallel sided U-shape, constituting a pairof spaced jaws comprising the central horizontal bar 40, serving as anupper jaw, a spacing portion 4| and a lower horizontal bar or jaw 42,the free end of which is bent inward at right angles to form a lip 43directed toward the upper jaw 40.

The length of the inwardly directed lip 43 is slightly more thanvthediameter of the bore 21 of the pivot 26; the space between the arms 40and 42 is approximately equal to the radial distance between the outerend of the link and the adjacent side of the bore 21 so that when thelip 43 and the arm 42 are inserted through the bore 21, this part of theS-hook will lock the two links in their pivotal relation to each otherfor connecting one panel unit to the other, as above described. The endof the lip 43 is spaced outward from the arm 46 to facilitate theentrance of the arm 42 into the bore 21. The lower jaw 42 of the S-hookbeing resilient is thus easily inserted into the pivot aperture 21. withthe lip 42 inclined to the axis of the bore, but once inserted it actsas a positive means for securing the respective links together and islocked by snap action against accidental dislodgment.

The upper part of the S-hook 39 is bent to an inverted V-shape toprovide a seat or notch 44 for engagement with the eye of a pleat hangerl2 and to provide a depending arm 45 which extends downward beyond theshoulder 40.| formed by the juncture of the central bar 40 with the part4I of the hook. The lower end of the depending arm 45 may be readilyinserted into the eye of the hanger i2 which snaps past the shoulder40.| and comes into place with the seat 44 resting in the hanger eye.

When two panel units are connected together, the upper pivotalconnection is locked against accidental disconnection by the S-hook. Thelower pivotal connection is similarly locked by inserting a self-tappingscrew 46 into the bore 21 of the respective pivot 26, the head 48 of thescrew being of larger diameter than the bearing bore 29 of theconnecting link member, as will be understood from Fig.v6.

It will be seen that the lazy tongs device hangs freely behind and inparallel relation to the drape, and also that the entire lazy tongstructure occupies no more space between the drape and wall than doesthe existing hanger hardware and requires no change in such hardware. Itdoes not interfere with the free hanging of the drape, but maintains thepleats of the drape and its hangers in uniformly spaced relation in allpositions of travel, whether moved by hand or by cord. In the formshown,` the first multiple panel unit will serve iive pleats, eachadditional multiple panel unit will serve four additional pleats, andsingle pleat units can be added as required for any actual number ofpleats.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that details of the constructionshown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of theinvention as de- .nedby the followingclaims. l

I claim:

1. In a curtain hanger structure having a trackway and a series of pleathangers shiftable therealong and each having a hook engaging element, apleat spacer comprising a series of crossed pairs of bars pivotallyconnected in lazy tongs fashion and having open bores at theirbar-end-pivotal connections on one side of the series, and a series ofS-hooks severally engaged in said bores and connected in succession tosaid hook engaging elements.

2. In a curtain hanger structure having a trackway and a series of pleathangers shiftable therealong and each having a hook engaging element, apleat spacer comprising a series of crossed pairs of bars pivotallyconnected in lazy tongs fashion and having open bores at theirbar-end-pivotal connections on one side of the series, and a series ofS-hooks severally engaged in said bores and connected in succession tosaid hook engaging elements; each said S-hook having an upper hook and alower hook open toward opposite sides thereof, the upper hook being ofinverted V-shape and the lower hook being of U-shape with a laterallydirected lower jaw extendable through such pivotal bore and with anupwardly extending lip, the length of said lower jaw approximating thelength of such bore and the height of said lip approximating thediameter of such bore.

3. In a draping pleat spacer, a lazy tong link having an integral pivotstud near one end and having a bore extending axially through said stud,a second lazy tong link having a bearing hole near one end in which saidstud is seated, and a hanger clip of resilient wire having a hook with aU-shaped portion spanning the space between said bore and the adjacentends of both said links and having an arm extending axially through saidbore and terminating in a lip inhibiting separation of said links fromeach other and from said clip.

4. A draping pleat spacer, comprising a pair of lazy tong panelstructures each comprising a pair of links of equal length pivotedtogether midway of their ends, one link of each pair having integralpivot studs at its opposite ends with bores extending therethroughaxially of the respective studs, and the other link of each pair havingbearing apertures for such studs at its opposite ends, the pivot studsat one side of one said panel structure being seated in the bearingaperture at the adjacent side of the other said panel structure, and ahanger clip of resilient wire having a hook extending through the boreof one of said last named pivot studs and resiliently embracing the endportions of the 6 C respective links to latch same against accidentalseparation.

5. A drapery pleat spacer, comprising a pair of lazy tong bars pivotallyconnected together at one end, such pivotal connection comprising anintegral axially bored stud on one bar and a bearing aperture thereforin the other bar, and a hanger clip of spring wire having oppositelydirected hooks, one hook extending crosswise over the bar ends, thenradially inward to the bore of the stud, then through the bore and thenradially outward from the bore to prevent separation of the pivotalconnection, and the other said hook being adapted to serve as asuspension for the bars.

6. A drapery pleat spacer, comprising a pair of lazy tong bars pivotallyconnected together at one end, such, pivotal connection comprising anintegral axially bored stud on one bar and a bearing aperture thereforin the other bar, and a hanger clip of spring wire of S-hook form havingoppositely directed hooks lying in a common plane, one hook extendingcrosswise over the bar ends, then radially inward to the bore of thestud, then through the bore and then radially outward from the bore toprevent separation of the pivotal connection, and the other said hookbeing adapted to serve as a suspension for the bars.

7. A drapery pleat spacer, comprising a pair of lazy tong bars pivotallyconnected together at one end, such pivotal connection comprising anintegral axially bored stud on one bar and a bearing aperture thereforin the other bar, and a hanger clip of spring wire comprising a medialportion of a length substantially equal to the combined thickness ofsaid bars, one end portion being in the form of a nearly closedrectangularly looped hook extending through the axial bore at saidpivotal connection and latchingly embracing the adjacent bar ends, andthe other end portion being in the form of a nearly closed triangularlylooped hook adapted to serve as a suspension for the bars.

HERBERT A. EGGERT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 942,093 Merrick Dec. '7, 1909 1,299,429 Curtiss Apr. 8, 19191,514,722 Perkins Nov. 11, 1924 2,584,111 Brenner Feb. 5, 1952 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 4,364 Great Britain Mar. 13, 1889

